How an energy management system to ISO 50001 can systematically raise energy efficiency.

Many pumps run around the clock, causing an astronomically high industrial energy consumption. According to estimates, about one third of the total power consumption in industry leads back to pump operation. 

In these times of ever increasing energy costs and ecological change towards becoming climate neutral and cutting back on CO2 emissions, more and more operators are trying to operate their pumps as efficiently as possible. A suitable way of doing so is the use of energy management systems: They help detect and document potentials that can be tapped into to enhance energy efficiency and lower both costs and greenhouse gas emissions.

What is energy management?

The VDI 4602 guideline, Sheet 1, defines the term Energy Management (EnM) as the "proactive, organised and systematic coordination of procurement, conversion, distribution and use of energy to meet the requirements, taking into account environmental and economic objectives".

Energy management pays.

By using an energy management system companies not only save energy costs and become more environmentally friendly; the companies' efforts to lower their energy consumption are also supported by the government in many ways. Apart from the "peak compensation" to the German Energy and Electricity Duty Acts, the "special equalisation scheme" to § 63 ff EEG 2017 (Renewable Energy Sources Act) and further targeted subsidies may apply. The basis of an energy-efficient optimisation is the introduction of an energy management system to ISO 50001. 

What is an energy management system?

An energy management system is a system that systematically records energy flows. This is how energy management systems form an important basis for investment decisions. An energy management system creates the preconditions for a company to meet the energy policy regulations and to continuously enhance its energy use. The recommendations made during the certification are only the first step.

International energy management standard ISO 50001

In June 2011 ISO 50001 was introduced as the first international standard for energy management systems. ISO 50001 is a classic management system standard that is applied in companies and organisations of all industries and sizes. It is each company's responsibility to suitably tailor the myriad of options of an energy management system as described in ISO 50001 to its own needs.

ISO 50001 was developed in such a way that it can be combined with other management systems, especially in quality and environmental management. Like DIN EN ISO 9001, DIN EN ISO 14001 and EMAS, it is based on the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle. 
 

The PDCA cycle: Step by step to an ISO 50001 energy management system

PDCA (also known as Deming cycle) is a problem solving process used in quality assurance. It comprises four steps:

Plan: In this step you initially perform a comprehensive energy assessment of your company. First of all, collect all relevant data. This includes the figures of previous and current energy consumption as well as all factors influencing the use and consumption of energy in your company. Analyse these data and determine areas of major energy consumption. Next, identify options of optimising energy-related performance. At the end of this first step you would have gotten to know your energetic starting point and your energy performance indicators and you would have defined your strategic and operative targets.

Do: In this step you are going to work out concrete plans of actions and measures. Make sure to always involve your employees. Simply making them aware of the energy management topic is not enough. Your employees have to be informed in detail and actively involved. At the end of the day, it is them who will have to implement the changed processes in your company. Also, your employees know your processes the best. They can give you some valuable impulses for optimisation.

Check: Check if the planned measures are being observed and the targets are being met. This means you will have to keep measuring and monitoring your energy consumption. Identify where adjustments may have to be made if some of the processes are not going to plan. Ideally, develop preventive measures, so no problems need to be addressed later on. And finally, you should document everything transparently and regularly implement internal audits to check the system processes.

Act: The last phase serves to reflect on the overall process. To do so, create an analysis for the current situation and compare it with the target situation. When you have reached your defined targets, you should standardise and introduce the outcome. If you notice that the defined targets have not been reached, the PDCA cycle starts from the beginning. 

To optimise the energy consumption of pumps in the long term and, especially, sustainably – also in view of the eco-balance – KSB supports its customers with implementing the PDCA cycle for pump systems.
 

What does an ISO 50001 certification procedure look like?

Regardless of the certification procedure, you as a company can have a pre-audit conducted by the certification organisation. The pre-audit is optional and helps companies determine what ISO 50001 requirements have already been implemented. 
After the optional pre-audit, the actual certification audit is carried out. This is done in two steps: During certification audit I the auditor inspects the documentation of your energy management system and assesses your site. During certification audit II (which should be conducted no later than three months after audit I) the auditor checks the efficiency of the energy management system and the conformity with the requirements of the ISO 50001 standard. The auditor conducts interviews with the employees, visits production facilities, etc. The documentation of the energy management system is checked once again. If the energy management system assessed meets the requirements, the auditors recommend a certification to be issued.
Once issued, an ISO 50001 certificate is valid for three years. To maintain the ISO certification status, surveillance audits are required every year.

A certified energy management system forms the basis for the systematic analysis, assessment and implementation of energy saving potentials. With that, it helps you reach the targets you yourself have defined for environmental protection and CO2 emission.
The responsibility of implementation lies with the company. The management process facilitates the integration of the topic in the company strategy but does not replace the need for the company to develop and realise its own implementation plan.